Coin collection apparatus



NOV. 5, 1940. I M CK 2,220,168

CO IN COLLECTION APPARATUS Filed April 18, 1939 nvvnvroe M MEL/CK A TTORNE V Patented Nov. 5, 1940 uslrso sTATEs PATENT OFFICE COIN COLLECTION APPARATUS John M. Melick, Gresskill, N. J., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporate-d, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 18, 1939, Serial No. 268,478

2 Claims. (Cl. 194-1) This invention relates to coin collection appa Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the coin channel ratus in which a coin or token is deposited for the along the line 33 of Fig. 2 in its original conuse of an instrument or for the purpose of receivdition;

ing services or supplies from a vending. device. Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 after :5 More particularly the invention relates to telecoin battering has taken place; and

phone apparatus such as described in U. S pat- Fig.5 is a modification of the invention.

ent to O'. F. Forsberg 1,043,219, issued November Fig. 1 is a side view partly in section of the 5, 1912, where it is required that one or more upper part of a telephone coin collector of the coins be deposited for the use of the instrument. type disclosed in the above-mentioned Forsberg Such apparatus usually includes a coin chute patentto which reference may be made for a containing coin channels down which a deposited more complete disclosure. Mounted on top of coin travels to strike a suitable signaling device upper housing 5 is a coin gauge 6 containing before being collected or refunded. A preferred apertures for receiving coins of various denominway of providing such a chute is to cast out of ations and a coin deposited in gauge 6 drops into soft metal a plate having spaced parallel ridges a tortuous coin channel in chute 1 whereby the or guide rails defining the desired coin channel coin is guided to strike a signaling device after and then complete the coin channel by mountwhich the coin drops into a suitable coin hopper ing on the channeled plate a flat cover plate. where it remains for subsequent collection or The chute is usually mounted in a substantially refund. -30 vertical plane to receive coins deposited in a coin The type of coin chute shown in Fig. 2 is quite gauge mounted external to the collector. similar to that disclosed in C. H. Wheeler U. S. However, the coin battering to which such a ent 1,717,079, issued June 11, 1929, e P chute is subjected tends to distort the coin runa modification in the cover plate hereinafter way and eventually makes it necessary to remove scribed. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the chute asa the chute from service to avoid the danger that sembly with e flat cover p e 8 in p e v r the battered metal will block the coin passage the channeled plate 9 on the rear face of which or otherwise render the chute inoperative, are formed guide rails defining a nickel runway In accordance with this invention it is proand a dime runway. A nickel deposited in coin posed to prolong the useful life of such a coin gauge 5 enters the nickel channel between plates chute by providing slots in the cover plate adja- 3 and 9 at the point Ill and drops upon the longi- 30 cent the point subjected to distortion so that tudinally inclined guide rail H of plate 9. Therethe battered metal may extrude through these after the coin strikes the opposite retaining slots instead of piling up against the cover plate Wall i2 and is then guided by retaining wall I3 or remaining in the chute to retard or block and retaining wall I4 to strike bell I5 after which the passage of coins. the nickel passes out of the chute between walls 5 As shown in the Forsberg patent a coin (19- i6 and H. posited in the coin gauge drops substantially The portion o rail H which i ubj c ed to e vertically for an appreciable distance before greatest battering by deposited coins is that opstriking the bottom wall of a longitudinally inposite slot l8 in cover plate 8. As indicated in clined channel and the portion of this bottom 2 slot i8 is longitudinally inclined and is sub- 40 wall receiving the falling coins becomes gradualstantially parallel to the coin supporting surface ly distorted with use. By providing a slot in the of track ll, while in a direction at right angles cover plate opposite the coin receiving surface of to surface I l the slot extends above the normal this battered area it has been found that the coin supporting surface for an appreciable disbattered metal extrudes through the slot instead tance as shown in Fig. 3. Hence the coin bat- 5 01" piling up in the coin passage, and by such a tered metal from wall II is free to extrude into construction it has been found possible to double and through slot !8 as shown in Fig. 4 where the or treble the useful life of the chute. coin receiving surface due to coin battering has Referring to the drawing: been distorted with the result that some of the Fig. 1 represents the upper portion of a telemetal 2! from rail H has been forced into slot I8. phone coin collector embodying a coin chute of In the absence of slot IS the displaced metal this invention; in the case of a soft metal cover plate would tend Fig. 2 is a plan view of a coin chute having a to force the cover plate 8 away from the chancover' plate constructed in accordance with this neled plate 9 creating a gap into which a thin invention; coin or slug might become wedged; or in the case 5 Another point in the nickel runway which is.

liable to similar distortion is in that portion of wall I3 opposite slot 23 on which portion the coins may drop with considerable force. Slot 23 in cover plate 8 functions in the same manner as slot I 8 to provide an opening into which the battered metal may go without detriment to the operation of the coin chute. Still a third point in the nickel runway subject to coin battering is that portion of the guide rail near the junction ,of walls I3 and I6 and opposite the slot 24 in cover plate 8. Slot 24 functions in the same manner as slots l8 and 23.

In the preferred embodiment the cover plate 8 is made of sheet steel sufiiciently rigid to prevent any separation of plates 8 and 9 under the action of the metal displaced by the coin battering; and channeled plate 9 is preferably die cast from a soft metal such as a suitable lead alloy.

It is obvious that similar slots may be provided 'in plates forming a part of runways for coins of other denominations such as dimes or quarters to provide an outlet for any metal displaced under the action of deposited coins.

A modification of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 5 and it may be assumed that Fig. 5 is also a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 5, cover plate 25 corresponds to cover plate 8 and channeled plate 26 corresponds to plate 9 with the coin supporting rail 21 corresponding to rail l l. The only difference between Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 is that channneled plate 26 is originally formed with a ledge 28 projecting into slot 29, but slot 29 will function in the same manner as slot l8 of Fig. 3 in that under the action of coin battering, some of the metal from rail 21 will be forced into the slot, thereby forcing ledge 28 farther out through the slot.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin chute comprising a coin channel plate and a cover plate fastened to said channel plate, said channel plate having spaced guide rails extending towards the inner face of said cover plate to define a coin runway between said plates down which a coin will roll or fall under the influence of gravity, said guide rails being formed of relatively soft metal, one section of one of said rails having a coin receiving face which is battered by the relatively hard coins with sufficient force to finally distort said face and the guide rail of which said face is a part, said cover plate having a slot opposite said, face and extending along said face in the direction of coin travel, the upper edge of said slot being located a substantial distance above said face, the distance between said face and the upper edge of said slot being substantially less than the diameter of a standard coin for said runway, said slot extending downwardly from its upper edge a distance at least equal to the distance between said upper edge and said face whereby metal from said battered rail may extrude into said slot.

2. A coin chute in accordance with claim 1 in which said one section of said one guide rail has a ledge projecting into said slot.

JOHN M. IVLELICK. 

